Sterling Systems Homes

by International Mill & Timber

Bay
City, Michigan was the home of three major kit home manufacturers including
International Mill & Timber, Aladdin, and Lewis Manufacturing. Located
on Saginaw Bay with its easy access to Lake Huron and blessed with an
abundance of timber, milling was big business. It was a logical location
for multiple kit home builders to emerge.

International Mill & Timber had generous terms. In 1915, the average
annual income was about $650. Many of the homes in the Sterling catalog
were well within reach of the average buyer. By making a 50% cash down payment,
they could arrange financing for the remaining balance for 24 months. After
two years, a buyer could own their home free and clear.

One unforeseen problem proved IM&T's undoing. Purchasers would buy
the house and build it without owning the land. If the buyer ran into financial
problems, the local bank foreclosed on the lot and IM&T was left with
the bad debt and no financial recourse. By 1922, after the death of the
founder W. D. Young, the company went bankrupt and was subsequently reorganized
under a new owner.

Sterling was purchased by Bay City lumber dealer, John Kantzler, and continued
to sell kit homes until 1971. The company was dissolved in 1975.